Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Lee wins gold with Team USA
During the tournament, Lee played in all seven games. The Saint Mary's High School product was a human highlight as she made an impact on both ends of the court. In the World Cup game, Lee scored seven points while dishing out four assists. She also was a menace on the boards with ten rebounds.
While Lee is celebrating another significant milestone, this is not unfamiliar territory. She won gold with Team USA during the 2024 FIBA Women's U18 AmeriCup in Colombia. The California native was also part of the 2024 USA Women's Nike Hoop Summit team that defeated the World Select squad. She was the best player on the court, leading all players with a +17 plus/minus in that game.
With the 2025-2026 campaign just a few months away, Lee will again be an important piece for the Longhorns. She is coming off a strong freshman year, in which she earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors. Lee scored in double figures in ten games. However, her best play came during March Madness.
In the final four, the Longhorns' star scored 16 points against South Carolina. While the Longhorns' run unfortunately came to an end against the Gamecocks, Lee was part of history. Last season marked the first time that Texas advanced to the Final Four in 22 years.
With another year of experience, Lee should be an exciting player to watch when the regular season begins.
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San Francisco Chronicle
24 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Déjà vu: England and Spain meet again in a final, this time at the Women's European Championship
ZURICH (AP) — Here we go again. There's a sense of déjà vu about the Women's European Championship final that pits defending champion England against World Cup winner Spain. The two nations faced off in the World Cup final two years ago with Spain edging an open match 1-0. 'I think obviously that was a massive disappointment and I feel like from a collective we probably feel like we didn't have our best performance that day, but I think … if you're trying to pull on that too much then you're going to be too emotional with too many things going on,' England midfielder Keira Walsh said on Thursday. 'Obviously you think about it a little bit but I think for us, put it to the side and focus on the game on Sunday. We've got so many new players in this team who are really confident and bring so many things to this team, so it's exciting and we can just focus on the positives.' Both teams needed 120 minutes to get through their gruelling semifinals. England's super-subs had their part to play again on Tuesday with late goals first taking the match to extra time and then securing a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Italy. Spain needed a moment of magic from two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati to get past a resilient German side 1-0 on Wednesday. It will be a first Euros final for Spain but even before the tournament it had been the favorite to add the European title to its collection after winning the World Cup and Nations League in the past two years. Spain's triumph at the World Cup was marred by the Luis Rubiales scandal, after the-then head of the Spanish soccer federation kissed player Jenni Hermoso during the awards ceremony. Rubiales was subsequently charged with sexual assault and convicted a few months before the start of Euro 2025, bringing an end to one of the worst chapters in the history of Spanish soccer. Walsh, who made 100 appearances for Barcelona over two-and-a-half seasons, was playing in Spain at the time and witnessed the fallout first hand. 'I think the most important thing for them is that they can enjoy this final, there's not the controversy surrounding it,' she said. 'I think just for the girls this time and as a friend and another football player, for them just to go and enjoy it. 'They play incredible football and they deserve to be there, so as a human being I just want them to go out and enjoy the game of football.' Walsh doesn't feel Spain's star-packed squad received enough credit after the World Cup triumph. 'Obviously after the game there was a lot of controversy and I don't think for them there was enough spotlight on how incredible they played and how incredible some of their players were, it was all about the other stuff that had gone on,' she said. 'I think as a professional that was disappointing to see. Obviously I have a lot of friends in that team and I think they probably deserved a little bit more than what they got.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Fox evolved its approach to women's soccer with Euros broadcast. Were the changes enough or too late?
As Euro 2025 comes to a close, all signs point to the tournament finally enjoying its breakout moment in the United States. It culminates on Sunday in a 2023 World Cup final rematch between England and Spain — an ideal clash for attracting an American audience. While the international break still has a few more days to go, there's enough data to assess what's worked, what hasn't and where the growth of women's soccer in America goes from here. There's never been any doubt that this country watches the U.S. women's national team. The 2015 Women's World Cup win over Japan remains one of the most-watched soccer games in the country (26.7 million average viewers), only barely edged out by the 2022 men's World Cup final between Argentina and France (26.73 million). There's a massive difference, however, between casual and new fans tuning in for the USWNT during a World Cup and pulling in viewers for the Euros, or the Women's Africa Cup of Nations or Copa America Femenina, even with the presence of NWSL players at all three tournaments. Ahead of this summer of soccer, I wrote in the 'Full Time' newsletter that these overlapping events — more so than a singular Women's World Cup — would reveal the true growth of women's soccer. The Euros, of the three options, was the most instructive test of how hungry an American audience would be for non-USWNT soccer, largely because of how Fox Sports approached its broadcast presentation. Despite little promotion ahead of the tournament, Fox Sports bet big by putting most games on either the primary Fox channel or FS1, with only one match relegated to FS2. This towers over the approach from ESPN in 2022, which split the tournament between broadcast and streaming (two matches on ESPN, including the final, 21 on ESPN2 and eight on ESPN+). And is also a different world compared to the 2017 edition in the Netherlands, which entirely utilized ESPN3 and their app. Fox, which said that they would air over 130 hours of live women's soccer coverage this summer between the Euros and Copa America Femenina, has supplemented their Euros coverage with a studio show featuring analysts and former players, including Carli Lloyd, Ari Hingst, Jen Beattie and others. (Copa América, compared to the Euros, has gotten a more basic approach, with the games largely split between FS1 and FS2. The dichotomy in coverage between the two tournaments is notable.) Ahead of the Euros, Fox Sports president of insights and analytics Mike Mulvihill told Sports Business Journal that the network was targeting 50 percent growth for viewership. They've easily surpassed that number, averaging over 90 percent through the group stage with a 2025 average viewership of 306,000 compared to 2022's 161,000 viewers. France's 2-1 win over England provided the largest spike of the group stage, with 690,000 viewers, thanks to its placement on Fox and a favorable Saturday afternoon timeslot. The quarterfinals continued the trend, nearly reaching the one million viewership mark with Germany's thrilling 6-5 penalty shootout win over France (925,000 viewers). In 2022, quarterfinal viewership averaged 283,000 viewers; this summer, it has averaged out at 776,000 viewers. The number one driver is increased accessibility, but Fox has gotten other calls right, too, even as their overall strategy for soccer remains disappointingly on brand. Bringing former German international player Hingst back in as the primary expert voice has been the highlight of their studio work — with her well-researched analysis on all of the teams and her emotional connection to Germany (especially while watching Germany survive and advance into the semifinals). Fox has never gone for the banter the way CBS has leaned in on men's Champions League, but Hingst provided a blueprint that knowledge doesn't preclude fun behind a desk. Former Scotland international Beattie was a strong new addition to Fox's team, both at the desk and in the booth for color commentary alongside regular play-by-play analyst John Strong. The only flaw was her departure from Fox's studio in Los Angeles to watch the tournament in person in Switzerland (and that Fox had her pulling double duty with Copa America). Fox leaned not just on familiar voices but largely turned to established pairs for its match commentary. Jacqui Oatley and Lori Lindsey have been regular fixtures in the NWSL, as have JP Dellacamera and Lianne Sanderson. It's not surprising that Fox didn't fully invest in this area, keeping the teams in Los Angeles rather than having them in the stadium. It did, at points, cause issues, but understandable ones. It also wouldn't be a Fox Soccer broadcast without the heavy rotation of former U.S. players participating. Lloyd, who was a divisive presence during the 2023 World Cup broadcast, especially in her approach to covering the USWNT, has settled in following a couple of major tournaments' worth of reps behind the desk. Her trademark bluntness hasn't gone anywhere, but she has gotten better at pointing it in a productive direction. If Fox chose to rely solely on Lloyd for an American lens to these international tournaments, I'd find it a justifiable choice. A famous U.S. player helps bridge the gap to American fans, and using her own experience in major tournaments provides familiar reference points for the every-four-years World Cup viewer. It's not just Lloyd, though. Fox continues to stress these voices far too much, with the greatest example continuing to be former U.S. men's player Alexi Lalas. Lalas has always been the most divisive presence in Fox's coverage — the bombastic approach either works for you or it really, really doesn't. Every major tournament that Fox airs, I wonder what value Lalas adds to a broadcast to engage, entertain and inform new and returning viewers. Maybe there are still some women's soccer die-hards who still hate watch to see what Lalas will say next, but most social media commentary I see states time and time again that the existing women's soccer audience in this country is opting out of watching Fox's studio commentary. Of course, it's not a studio analyst's job to protect players or teams, or rely solely on positive commentary throughout a tournament — the 'toxic positivity' of the women's soccer space has long been an element holding the growth of the sport back. The majority of the former women's players serving Fox's studio analysts — including Lloyd — have largely balanced praising what's worked for teams and pointing out what hasn't, all with halftime or full time film. Women's soccer has, however, long outgrown the need for Lalas to serve as the default Fox perspective, shouting for shouting's sake. He has not been ever-present in this tournament, but he regained a prominent role during the Italy-England semifinal (and, presumably, the final) when viewership will peak. I'd like to think that Fox evaluates itself after every major tournament, but with the viewership increases we've seen, I expect the same strategy will persist. At the same time, Fox has lost ground in the rapidly shifting landscape for women's soccer media rights to both traditional competition and new challengers. CBS has been aggressive in signing deals with Concacaf, and most recently, picking up the rights to the women's Champions League to live alongside its men's coverage. But the big loss for Fox was to Netflix, which won the rights to air both the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cup during FIFA's bidding process. Accessibility remains the key to viewership growth, but it is not the only ingredient for sustained growth that benefits the entire sport and media infrastructure. The players and teams of the 2025 Euros have provided exciting matches, plenty of drama and a record amount of soccer to boot, with four knockout stage games going to extra time. That's another crucial piece to keeping new and casual viewers hooked, and looking for more. But so is robust, thoughtful commentary and analysis from the media rights holder. Fox has certainly improved on this front, but has yet to shed its worst impulses. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. International Football, Sports Business, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Spain or England? Predicting the Euro 2025 Final We Wanted To See
It's the juicy rematch everyone wants to see. These nations met in the 2023 World Cup final where Spain was crowned world champions for the first time. Now England will get a shot at revenge and attempt to secure a consecutive Euro title. Here's what you need to know ahead of Sunday's matchup: "You can never write the English off." Chloe Kelly's words have rang true throughout this tournament as England brushed off elimination multiple times. The defending tournament champions needed extra time – and a favorable call in the box – to beat Italy 2-1 in Tuesday's semifinal. And before that, it took a penalty shootout to edge a more imposing Sweden team. On paper, both Sweden and Italy should have won those respective matches. But the Lionesses have that never-say-die mentality and have found different ways to win. Michelle Agyemang, the 19-year-old Arsenal forward, came off the bench in both the quarterfinal and semifinal matches to score brilliant and decisive goals. But it was Kelly, England's hero from the last European championship, who came on as a late sub and provided a spark that carried her team to those victories. Against Sweden, Kelly had the assist on Lucy Bronze's goal in the 79th minute and then converted her penalty during the shootout. In the Italy match, she was tasked with taking the controversial spot kick in the 119th minute. While she missed her initial attempt, the confident forward followed up and fired her own game-winning rebound into the back of the net. Then England's celebration queen paid homage to both Cristiano Ronaldo's "calma, calma" gesture and Thierry Henry's corner-flag pose in fitting fashion: "It's definitely a movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat," Kelly added. Aitana Bonmatí, who was hospitalized with meningitis days before the Euros began, scored the winning goal in extra time to propel Spain to a 1-0 victory over Germany in the second semifinal. Despite not starting the first couple of games while she recovered and eased back onto the pitch, it almost seemed inevitable that Bonmatí would have a magic moment at some point during this tournament. And it happened at the most important time as a penalty shootout looomed. The two-time Ballon d'Or winner made some dangerous runs earlier in the match, but overall Germany defended her well. Then in the 113th minute, she found herself pinned near the end line at an awkward angle looking at the goal. While it seemed at first as if she was looking to cross the ball to one of her teammates, Bonmatí instead slipped a shot past German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger at the near post. Berger had been outstanding the entire tournament – she was the hero of Germany's quarterfinal win over France. But the Gotham FC goalkeeper was out of position as she likely guessed Bonmatí was going to cross the ball instead of shoot it. She blamed herself afterward. "I can make as many saves as I want, but that one should have been mine, and that's why I'm incredibly sorry. For the team, not for me, but for those who gave their all," Berger said. Now Spain will play in its first-ever European final. On paper, it may seem like England are more battle-tested, having played France and the Netherlands during the group stage before facing Sweden and Italy in the knockout round. But the Spaniards are coming off consecutive challenging games, including a 2-0 quarterfinal win over tournament host Switzerland last week in which they missed two PKs in regulation. Final prediction: Spain wins, 2-1. This will be an epic fight in the final, no doubt. While Spain has been the steady favorite all along and proven to be the most talented and technical side in this tournament, what we've learned over the last few weeks is you can never count England out. Even if La Roja dominate and maintain possession for most of the game on Sunday – even if they have a lead – the Lionesses are a squad that could pull the rug out at any moment. That's exactly what they did to Sweden and to Italy. At the point in those respective matches when England was mounting its comeback, the opponent had already subbed off some of its most important players, likely thinking the game was in hand. Spain and England know each other well with mostly the same rosters who faced each other in the 2023 World Cup final in Australia. Additionally, many of these players recently clashed when Arsenal defeated Barcelona 1-0 in the Champions League final. So needless to say that Sunday will be a tight, thrilling game and could very well break attendance and viewership records for a Women's European championship game. Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.
